The present invention relates to a dispenser for a roll of material, and particularly to a sanitary dispenser that automatically cuts and dispenses a measured amount of material upon a user grasping and pulling the tail end of the roll material.
A number of dispensing devices are well known in the art for dispensing and cutting webs of roll material, including paper toweling, paper products, and the like. With such dispensers, the processes of dispensing and cutting the web material are carried out automatically by pulling on the free or xe2x80x9ctailxe2x80x9d end of the web material that extends from the apparatus. The web material is engaged against a xe2x80x9croughxe2x80x9d or friction enhancing surface of a feed drum and the action of pulling the web material causes the drum to rotate. The drum includes a drive mechanism and, after the initial pull on the web material by the user, the drum is driven a predetermined rotational degree to dispense a metered amount of the web material. These type of dispensers are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9csanitaryxe2x80x9d dispensers because the user does not manually operate any portion of the drive or cutting mechanism. The user only touches the tail end of the web material that is dispensed and cut for that particular user.
A number of conventional sanitary dispensers also incorporate an additional xe2x80x9cstubxe2x80x9d roll feature. When the primary roll of web material becomes depleted to a certain extent, it can be placed on a stub roll carrier so that a new primary roll may be loaded into the dispenser. The web material from the stub roll is then fed through the dispensing device with the web material from the primary roll and the two web materials are simultaneously dispensed until the stub roll is completely depleted.
Examples of the conventional dispensers include a line of sanitary dispensers from Kimberly Clark Corporation referred to as SaniTouch(copyright) dispensers, the xe2x80x9cNo Touchxe2x80x9d dispensers, and the xe2x80x9cHands-Freexe2x80x9d dispensers.
With the conventional dispensers, the feed drum is equipped with a cutting tool, such as a bar, blade, or the like, which extends from a retracted position within the drum to an extended position once the drum reaches a predetermined rotational position to affect a cutting of the web material. Dispensing devices of this type are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,213,363; 4,635,837; 4,621,755; 4,846,035; and 4,122,738. The cutting mechanisms mounted within the drum are, however, relatively complicated and expensive to manufacture and maintain. The drum mounted cutting devices also add significantly to the cost of the drum.
The present invention relates to an improvement in the conventional sanitary dispensers, particularly to an improved cutting mechanism.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or may be learned from the description or through practice of the invention.
The present invention includes an apparatus for automatically dispensing and cutting measured amounts of material from a roll of web material. The invention utilizes a xe2x80x9csanitaryxe2x80x9d automatic feeding mechanism known from conventional dispensers, as discussed in the BACKGROUND SECTION.
The apparatus includes a housing in which the internal components of the apparatus are disposed. A roll carrier is disposed within the housing to rotationally carry a primary roll of web material. The housing may also include a stub roll carrier to rotationally carry a partially depleted second web of roll material. The second roll of material may be dispensed with the first web until the second roll is exhausted.
A rotatable feed drum is disposed within the housing proximate to the roll carrier. The roll carrier is biased towards the rotatable drum so that the roll of web material carried by the roll carrier is urged towards the drum. In this way, the web material is frictionally engaged against the drum so as to rotate the drum upon the xe2x80x9ctailxe2x80x9d or free end of the web material being pulled from the housing.
A cutting mechanism is movably mounted within the housing external of the rotatable drum. The cutting mechanism is engaged by the rotatable drum along a portion of the rotational arc of the drum. A radially extending lever arm may be rotationally fixed at the end of the rotatable drum for this purpose. The cutting mechanism is moved by the rotatable drum along a cutting path that is adjacent to a conveying path of the web material within the housing. The cutting mechanism includes a cutting blade that moves across the conveying path of the material as the cutting mechanism is moved by the rotatable drum to automatically cut the web material. Once the material has been cut, any manner of known feeding mechanism, such as an eccentric spring mechanism, causes the rotatable drum to continue to rotate to its neutral position and dispense a free end or tail of the web material out of the housing.
In one particular embodiment of the invention, the cutting mechanism moves along a linear cutting path within the housing. With this embodiment, the cutting mechanism may include a carriage slidably mounted within the housing, for example to a vertical wall or structure of the housing. A cutting blade holder may be movably mounted to the carriage and carries a cutting blade that extends the width of the web material. The blade holder moves in a direction towards and across the conveying path of the web material as the carriage moves along its linear path. A cam member, such as a ramped surface, may be disposed along the linear path of the carriage to contact and move the blade holder for this purpose.
The carriage may be spring biased to a neutral position within the housing and automatically returns to this position after the web material has been cut. For example, the carriage may be disengaged by the rotatable drum just after the material has been cut, wherein the carriage is then free to return to its neutral position.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below through use of the appended figures.